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Voters give the governor a black eye

Posted:
11/13/2012 05:36:25 PM MST

Gov. Susana Martinez wasn't on the ballot Tuesday night, but she was involved. Heavily involved.

And at the end of the night, she had been badly beaten.

A PAC formed by the governor's supporters is reported to have spent $1.4 million in the month before the election, but at the end of the night had just one major victory to show for it: Senate President pro tem. Tim Jennings, a Democrat who has held on to his seat in the Republican stronghold of Roswell for 33 years by advancing centrist policy positions and successfully advocating for his region, was defeated by conservative Republican Cliff Pirtle, with ample help from the Reform New Mexico Now PAC.

But, as Martinez surely knows, Jennings wasn't her problem, and eliminating him from the Senate won't make it any easier for her to get her agenda passed. Especially not after spending so much money to smear candidates who went on to win anyway.

Such as Michael Sanchez, the Senate majority leader. The Martinez PAC ran television ads accusing Sanchez of being soft on baby killers. They didn't work, and he won by 11 points. Assuming he retains his position as majority leader, Sanchez will continue to set the floor calendar each day of the session, deciding which bills get heard and which don't.

Not only did Martinez back losing candidates, but she also helped defeat a key ally. Her PAC spent money on mailers and radio ads attacking Andy Nuñez, who has been the sponsor of legislation to prohibit illegal immigrants from obtaining a state driver's license - one of the governor's top priorities.

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Now, instead of Nuñez fighting for her, she gets Democrat Phillip Archuleta fighting to block her at every turn.

Closer to home, Martinez saw voters in Doña Ana County totally reject her attempt to pack the 3rd Judicial District with former subordinates from her days as district attorney. Three judges and the district attorney, all appointed by Martinez after having worked for her, were all defeated at the polls.

The Appeals Court judge and Supreme Court justice appointed by Martinez were also defeated. And, voters passed a constitutional amendment she had opposed that will move control of the state's public defenders out of her office.

Gov. Martinez remains a rising star in the Republican Party and highly popular among New Mexico voters. An Albuquerque Journal poll taken shortly after her speech at the Republican National Convention showed 69 percent of New Mexicans approve of her job performance thus far.

But that popularity has not translated to effectiveness.

The governor has not been able to move the Legislature on her most important bills. And, she was not able to move voters on Election Day to give her a more receptive Legislature.

This election has served to weaken, not strengthen, the governor. She still has the veto pen, of course, and has proven that she is more than willing to use it. But, that only gives her the authority to stop legislation. To actually get anything done in the next two years, the governor will need to start building coalitions and alliances, including members of both parties.

That is not something she was able to accomplish in her first two years.